* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Kasuga no Tsubone
春日局
A remarkable woman who served as the wet nurse of the third shogun Iemitsu and laid the foundation of the Ōoku——an Edo-period power player and daughter of Saito Toshizo, a senior retainer of Akechi
Description
A Woman Born the Daughter of an Akechi Senior Retainer
Kasuga no Tsubone (1579–1643) was born with the personal name Fuku as the daughter of Saito Toshizo, a senior retainer of Akechi Mitsuhide. Her mother is said to have been connected by ties to Inaba Yoshimichi (Ittetsu). In Tensho 10 (1582), following the Honnō-ji Incident, her father Toshizo was defeated in the Battle of Yamazaki and executed. As "the daughter of a traitor," Fuku grew up relying on her mother's family connections. She later married Inaba Masanari and had children with him.
Wet Nurse to Tokugawa Iemitsu
Around Keicho 9 (1604), Fuku was selected as the wet nurse of Takechiyo (later the third shogun Iemitsu), the legitimate son of Tokugawa Hidetada. Iemitsu was said to have been frail and prone to stammer in his childhood, and as his younger brother Kunimatsu (Tadanaga) was more favored, Fuku devoted herself wholeheartedly to raising Iemitsu. Her presence became crucial support as Iemitsu became established as heir to the shogunate.
Direct Appeal to Ieyasu
Alarmed that Iemitsu's younger brother Kunimatsu was more favored, Fuku traveled to Sunpu to see Tokugawa Ieyasu under the guise of a pilgrimage to Ise, where she is said to have directly petitioned that Iemitsu be designated as heir. This famous anecdote, widely told as a demonstration of Fuku's courage and political acumen, credits Ieyasu's decision with establishing Iemitsu's position as legitimate heir.
Foundation of the Ōoku and the Honor of Junior Second Rank
When Iemitsu became the third shogun, Fuku became a central figure in organizing the system of the inner quarters of Edo Castle—later known as the "Ōoku." She established the order of the shogun's principal wife, concubines, and attendant women, laying the foundation of its management. In Kanei 6 (1629), she went to the imperial court as an adopted daughter of the Sanjonishi family and had an audience with Emperor Gofushimi, receiving the court rank of Junior Third Rank and the title "Kasuga no Tsubone" (later promoted to Junior Second Rank in Kanei 9). That a daughter of a warrior house alone received such a high court rank speaks to the magnitude of her power and influence.
Connection to Swords
There is sparse historical documentation of Kasuga no Tsubone's personal sword. Her father, Saito Toshizo, was an excellent warrior and senior retainer of Akechi, and Fuku, born into the warrior class, held a place within the tradition of the short sword (tantō) for self-defense carried by women of the samurai class. Even in the inner quarters of Edo Castle, it was transmitted as a code of warrior ethics for attendant women to carry a short sword for self-defense. It may be thought that the spiritual significance of such swords also lived within the order that Fuku established.
Notable Swords
- Short sword for a warrior woman (tantō)——a self-defense sword carried from her position as a daughter born into the warrior class, specifically as the daughter of Saito Toshizo, a senior retainer of Akechi. Even in the inner quarters of Edo Castle, the shogun's household, it was transmitted as a code of warrior ethics for attendant women to carry short swords for self-defense.